“You don’t get your wisdom teeth until you bite off more than you can chew” This was a favorite saying of my grandmother’s, and she never hesitated to remind us in times of trouble that there was purpose and reason behind it. Last week Vi, (we were never actually allowed to refer to her as Gram, Nan or anything of the sort) passed away and though I thought I had prepared myself for it, I suddenly found myself without my biggest fan and my greatest supporter and I have to tell you, it seems my “muse” has also taken flight…right to that secret notebook where I share what will never be seen by the world.
Do you have a secret notebook? It was Vi who turned me on to this many, many, years ago. Build a place where every part of you is welcomed. Where every personality that has taken up residence within your heart gets to shine with no fear of condemnation or judgment. Man…I’ve got a whole trunk of notebooks, and an entire list of personalities that clamour for their time in the spotlight. SO if you’ve been wondering where I’ve been…it certainly hasn’t been swimming in poetry.
It is now time to return to the light, and the poets I’ve been missing terribly. I do hope you’ll forgive me my absence and bear with me as I try to steady my pen in honor of the force that has become OpenLinkNight.
I also have to send a hearty congratulations to those dVersePoets who answered the call and will see their work appearing in the upcoming issues of Nain Rouge. If you missed Pretzles&Bullfights yesterday, Brian provided a full list of the winners. Over 30 entries of a caliber so strong the work of the poets will be used far beyond the initial publication! Can I brag? That is so very awesome!
And that is what we get to enjoy each and every OpenLinkNight! I’m Natasha Head and I’ll be behind the bar all evening…the stage, dear Poets….is all yours!
Need help stepping to the mic? Here’s how…
- Post a poem to your blog. (One entry per poet, please)
- Copy the exact address of your post and click our Mr. Linky button
- Here you’ll be asked to paste your blog address and enter your name. Click submit…and you’re in!
- Our goal is community. Communities grow when their citizens engage. Revisit Mr. Linky and click on the links of your fellow poets. Read, comment, share, grow. It takes a village, don’t you know 😉
- Be supportive and encouraging. Be fair in your criticism. Respect the hearts on the pages and take advantage of the amazing talent that writes on our walls each and every week. Most of all…spread the love…
PoetLove!
dVerse 
Yay for Open Link Night… I have a whole shelf of secret notebooks!
I love open link night!
oh tash…she sounds like a wonderful woman.. i so understand that you’re missing her
She is much better off…and I KNOW that…still miss her like crazy though! Oh the tales I could share 🙂
Tash–knowing and feeling are often 2 different things–sending hugs your way.
Welcome to the pub Poets! Let’s have at it, shall we?
I’m so sorry to hear about the loss of your grandmother, Tash. Sending healing thoughts your way.
Thanks Laurie…and thanks for being such a vibrant and supportive poet and sharing with us here
It will be nice to see everyone again today. Happy reading!
Welcome back! Awesome to see you
I’m so sorry to hear of your loss and wish you and your family the best!
She was a songwriter at heart, but she sure could weave a mean limerick! I wish she could have had the change to engage with you all…she would have had such a blast here
What a shame that I missed out on her limerick interaction!
Hi Tash – so very sorry about your grandmothers. I was close to both my grandmothers, but especially to one, and was terribly saddened by her death. It is a very special relationship, or can be, not as fraught as parent/child; so very sorry for your loss.
But glad to have you back. We will, I hope, get to see bits and pieces of your secret notebooks as time goes on. k.
Sorry – I meant grandmother.
She was awesome and I’m just happy I have a bunch that can appreciate and understand…and yes…perhaps some of those secrets will be shared…maybe…actually, I think that would take more courage than I can muster! 😉
My Grandma has inspired many narrative pieces for me, her wisdom speaking to me from the sight of a tiger lily or the crumbly flour and lard mixture of a pie crust in progress. Although she passed away, I have felt homesick for her age-spotted hand on mine ever since. My heart goes out to you.
Now, for OpenLinkNight. Let’s escape into poetry for a while 🙂
Much love *hug*
I’ll drink to that!
Natasha, I am so sorry for your loss!
Thanks you MamaZ…poets like you will get me thru! So thankful for all of you. Never doubt that poets can change the world…dVerse is living proof!
Glad not to be the last today…only open 5 min and twenty six ahead of me. 🙂
oops I clicked enter twice…only meant to do that once…sorry
At dVerse…even the oops are poetic! 😉 Welcome poet!
Very sorry about the loss of your grandmother, Tash. But how lucky you are to have had her in your life! And how lucky we are to have you here again! Cheers, m’dear!
Jackie…thank you…and thanks for the FB love too, BTW! You’ll be a master before you know it 🙂
Hi Tash, my condolences and best wishes.
I just found this page and am giving it a try.
Welcome fellow Wintergooser! 🙂 So awesome you’ve found us…for anyone that needs a new collection to dive into…Ina’s “Veritas” is amazing!
So sorry to read the sad news – grandmothers have a special place in our hearts – wishing you peace. K
And we will forever keep their legacy living through our poetry 🙂 Thanks so much!
Well firstly, given your sad news let me buy you a virtual drink and let’s add an umbrella and a cherry in honor of what sounds like one sassy and wise lady… I wondered where you got your pluck and courage from! Lovely to have you behind the bar, and sending lots of warm thoughts and hugs your way 🙂 Didn’t have an opportunity to write anything new this evening but this is one I did last week which slipped under the radar for most.
Not to be greedy, but how about a virtual keg 😉 Awesome to see you as always, and for those of you who haven’t heard the news, our wonderful Vanessa is having her first collection published in 2013!!!
Well in that case it HAS to be a keg… Of course,grab a straw, it’s on me! Xx
Thanks for hosting at a difficult time, Tash, and all my sympathy. I have three large plastic storage boxes full of those notebooks you’re talking about, and in them, I can say anything, so I know what you mean.
I went with an older poem tonight that had a resonance for me because of our current political affairs, which, are at bottom, human affairs. Apologies to those who may have read it in its earlier incarnation last winter.
meant to add–on the way out the door for errands but will be back to read and visit tonight.
See you soon, Joy! I had a feeling I wasn’t alone in my secret notebooks 😉
Sorry for your loss Natasha – she sounds like a great lady and someone who will always be in your heart. x
Condolences on losing a soul mate. Your notebooks remain, thank God, and also her wisdom, Natasha, but still. Thank you for being here now.
My poem tonight is a bit whimsical–I didn’t think so before, but I just read poems built on the latest statements against women and so I am reeling. I am grateful to be in the company of poets I admire when I attend the dVerse Poets Pub. Tonight is going to be a hot night.
Sad to hear of your loss Natasha. Very moving thoughts you wrote about her, bet she was so proud of you.
Gosh, I have been poetry dry for a bit then Whoosh, one poem just spilled right out of me – I couldn’t wait to link up. But I missed everyone…
Finishing up here at the day job and will be home to really start diving in. Y’all are awesome…and thoughts of getting back here has kept the old pen from completely stalling. Poets…know the good you’re doing!
Hi, Natasha. Sorry to hear about your loss, but it sounds like you treasure the gift that she has left you with. I love her words about the healthiness of a good challenge. I, too have tons of notebooks, hoping for a day when I can spend more time filling them with scrapes and words…many blessings to you.
Long live the therapy those notebooks provide!
Tash, from what you say, your grandmother was a wonderful and inspiring woman, and if anything, I’m sure she’s out there whispering some new poetry or song lyrics into the ear of your muse… so that she, in turn, can whisper them to you. I believe that the greatest gift of love is poetry, and the love your grandmother had for you, and you for her, can only result in poetry of the most profound and moving kind.
Samuel…your final statement has moved me to tears….amazing how many there are! Thank you
So sorry for the loss of your grandmother, Natasha…you were lucky to have had such a supportive person in your life. And thanks for getting us started today…glad you’re back.
I was VERY lucky and I am so happy to be back. You guys are, as Stu would put it, amaze-balls!
Evening all 🙂
Welcome to the pub! Been LOVING the instagram shots, btw! 🙂
May your grandmother take her rightful place among the angels. My sympathies are with you and yours. Thanks for being the hostess with the most-est!
I owe you so very much for your wonderful and encouraging comments. To have your support is amazing, and your sympathies appreciated more than you all probably realize. PoetLove!
So sorry for your loss,Tash. Sending you hugs .
Thank you, Ayala 🙂
hey all…just getting in…new job kicking my tale…haha….i am on the trail now though and will catch up…thanks for all those that came by already…smiles…
tash i am so sorry…it is never easy….hugs to you and if you need anything…
High School? Brian…if YOU need anything! 😉 Seriously…congratulations word-weaver!
ok poets…leaving the party at this point cause my eyes just refuse to stay open for one more minute…ha…have fun out on the trail everyone and see you tomorrow..
Made me think of our conversation today.
Good to see you. Annell Livingston HC 74 Box 21860 El Prado, NM 87529
annell@taosnet.com http://www.annelllivingston.com http://www.somethingsithinkabout-annell-annell.blogspot.com http://annellannell.wordpress.com
Tash, So sorry to hear about your Grandma. I suspect she is still your biggest supporter! (Okay, that didn’t sound quite right, but I hope you know what I mean). I’m a little late to the pub today, but better late than missing it entirely like last week. Right now I have to go help my son clean the spare room so he can set up his sewing machine in their to make pony plushies (yes, you read that right!), but I’ll be back soon to read some poetry. Peace, Linda
Linda! I can only imagine the poetry to be found in pony plushies! 🙂 Glad you made it!
Tash, I’m very sorry to hear about your grandmother, and I’m glad you had someone so special in your life.
So sorry for your loss, Natasha. It is difficult losing someone we love.
Happy Open Link to all!
Pamela
Tash, Vi is wonderful, what a character ~ she would love that you’ve written about her so ‘up front’ I think … thanks for hosting tonight … thinking of you x
Morning all, back from holidays in sunny Tropical Nth Qld (oz) so promise to do some reading by the weekend…. now where me coffee
Oh, I feel stupid! Mr Linky still had my last posted link (to another site) up, and I didn’t realise I would advertise my poem as being the right link, when in fact there is no wrong one here! Ah well.
Tash, I understand your feelings and wish you comfort.
Grandparents play such an important role in our lives. May her love and influence always be a part of your life, Tash.
As I say in my post, my offering is more about the poetry of my husband’s garden than the poetry of words…but I couldn’t resist.
Grandparents both gone, parents both gone, and the only consolation is that they live on in poetics, in dreams, ad infinitum. My grandfather, a Western artist and bone raw liberal was my hero; still is.
I dare say Vi would have loved your grandfather Glenn! 🙂 And thanks so much for the work you do over there in the twitterverse…you are a light in my timeline, Poet!
My entry tonight is dark with shards of light; just can’t find the space in the chaos of my mind for the light-hearted; Mr. Heavy Duty I guess.
This kind of went with my week. I’ve been trying to clear out a lot of stuff and discovered (time and time again) that I have too many notebooks. When my best grandma was living, she had a junk drawer full of random papers that she threw in there for scrap. I find myself often writing things on scrap paper and collecting them until I have the time to type/write it somewhere else. Just like she did.
Oh, ALWAYS on scraps! lol This made me smile…thank you!
A little late, and a little on the heavy side this evening. Don’t fret though, it’s merely a poem from my darker side. I’m ridin’ high as usual!
I’m so sorry, Tash. Losing a loved one is always hard, especially one as cherished as your grandmother Vi was.
Tash, good to see you here tonight. You’re grandmother sounds like she was full of great adages and wisdom. So sorry for your loss.
Well finally made it. Two weeks in a row working until after 7 pm. Definitely, putting a crimp in my poetry time!! Sharing a piece tonight written for my dear sister-in-law who is struggling in the face of extreme adversity. One of those things where the words came out of nowhere and had to be written down.
Grabbing my dinner, and then back to read for awhile. See you inside!
Its my first time linking here, eek! 😮
So sorry for your loss Tash … may your Grandma soar with the angels and still be your muse (I suspect you will find she often is …) Glad to see you back with us tho’ … Now to go look for some scraps and notebooks hidden away of my own. (I’ve been reading, and doing exercises out of, Natalie Goldberg’s memoir book “Old Friend from Far Away” most of the summer and one of her most emphatic pieces of advice is to have a notebook where you write your deepest, darkest thoughts and secrets – then either destroy it or hide it where no-one will ever find it! Nothing earth-shattering but incredibly liberating all the same … didn’t mean to go off on a tangent but would recommend anything by Goldberg)…Now, am really going…back later to read and hopefully post …
Thank you so much for hosting through what must be such a difficult time. I’m sorry.
You are very lucky to have known her… I never got to know either of my grandmothers. I am sorry for your loss.
I absolutely loved your post. Yes, I have secret notebooks and yes I enjoy a host of voices dancing through me! It’s so cool to read that you do too. Thanks for the encouragement.
good morning…will get a coffee and then be back to read…
good morning claudia…smiles…heading out myself…some good stuff out there…
be back early in the AM to catch the over nights….
sleep well poets!
I finally pushed myself to post a poem tonight. I watch Open Link Night come and go without even a limerick to add to the poetic voices at the pub. That has got to stop!
I may have to force my muse out of hiding.
Please excuse my late entry. I’m saddened I missed Tashtoo night. No lyrics tonight, just a rant that could be set to either heavy metal or classical cello. I wasn’t worried about melody or rhyme, just a straight translation. A lil raw, but it was my mood after this long day. I will catch up on reading Wednesday. Hope one and every had fun. Thank you for any reads. I wish I could play more. Maybe next time.
hello, my friends.
i’m so sorry for your loss, Natasha!
it will probably take me through Wednesday to visit others.
♥
“You don’t get your wisdom teeth until you bite off more than you can chew” … That is really quite brilliant. I’m so sorry about the loss of your grandmother, Tash.
Grandparents are a special part of our growing up and it is a sad day when they leave us, but the memories live on.
I have written nothing this week of which I am proud enough to link here today, except a recipe for a seriously sinful chocolate cake, which is only metaphorically a poem. But I shall dip in and out of others’ contributions as usual.
Natasha – so sorry to hear of your loss. Thank you for hosting another wonderful, globe-spanning OLN – take care.
good morning poets….just finished catching up…off to work and will be under a black out til 4 pm…will be back then to return comment….
Natasha, so sorry about your loss. The death of one of my own grandmothers devastated me when I was 8. She had cared for me the first weeks of my life, while my mother fought for her own life in a ghetto hospital that had given her an infection. I had bonded so strongly with that grandmother that I cried most of the day and was completely inconsolable. During my most recent journey through the tunnel of light, she was there, still smiling, still eager to see me again, as were all of my grandparents and both my parents. What is real? I only know what I have experienced, and it is not anything I have found written down in any book. All the best to you!
I think it’s very important to be able to write without worrying about an audience. Julia Cameron talks about this in The Artist’s Way and it’s one of the reasons why I still practice (imperfectly) the discipline of writing three pages a day in a journal. When I’m worrying about what an audience will think, it gives my inner critic way too much free reign and makes it almost impossible to put anything on paper. Artistic endeavour is tightly connected to play. When a child plays, does she worry about doing it perfectly, or even well? No, she plays for the pure joy of playing. Good art often opens me to that same joyful, surprising experience.
YES! Exactly! To have a forum that smother’s that inner critic and allows your crayons to go outside whatever lines they want to. 🙂 Pure BLISS!
Count me in! ☺ (Better late than never, as they say)
true that…smiles